MADRAS: A school in remote Mekala Chinnampally village in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district has become the first in the country to set up a vending machine in the girls’ toilet that dispenses sanitary napkins at Rs 2 a piece, reports Jaya Menon in the Indian Express.

The move, in consultation with UNICEF, is a small step to stop girls from staying away from school on the “embarrassing” days for fear of staining their uniforms and a giant leap to remove the stigma surrounding female hygiene. The vending machine costs Rs 8,000 and the incinerator Rs 1,500. The girls are also supplied a handbook on menstrual hygiene titled ‘Take it Easy‘.